The â€œTin Manâ€ water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, January 28th b by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking it's removal.

The â€œTin Manâ€ water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, January 28th b by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking it's removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's municipal complex at Broadway and Blue Bonnet Boulevard. The height difference caused it to be incompatible with the other tanks, sparking its removal.

The "Tin Man" water tower is dismantled and removed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, by Iseler Demolition, Inc. The 131-foot tower, built in 1928, is seven feet shorter than the other two towers near the city's

“It's an icon in the city. City officials have felt, 'How could we preserve this part of our past?'” McCormick said.

McCormick agreed with current city officials' assessment of any attempt to preserve the tower in its entirety.

“The poor thing is just in the way,” he said.

“I live virtually in the shadow of 'the tin man.' (Wife) Pam and I see it from our porch swing every afternoon,” Kiel said.

“Many in the community loved it so much that we originally made it a central piece of the new facility design. Unfortunately, 85 years had taken its toll and 'the tin man' was no longer safe.”

The cost for removal is $10,800. The city has retained photos of the tower. Cooper said some parts of the structure are being selected for the sake of nostalgia with most of it given to the contractor as partial payment in the form of scrap iron.

According to research, Amos and Louis Loranz paid $300 to buy two lots, where “the tin man” stood, from land development firm Alamo Heights Co. on March 30, 1907.

Amos Loranz and Clifton George were early water providers for the Alamo Heights community before it became an incorporated city in 1922.

On May 1, 1928, the city of Alamo Heights borrowed $50,000 from Brown Crummer Investment Co. to further develop then-water company Alamo Heights Water Works. Planned improvements included the tower.

Prior to the “the tin man,” residents had relied on a 20,000-gallon cypress tank on a wood trestle and a 15,000-gallon cypress pressure tank for water service.

The tower became a symbol of the Alamo Heights community over the following decades. The Alamo Heights High School Class of 1998 raised money, got city permission and secured a painter to have the class name and year inscribed on the tank's side.

“I grew up in Alamo Heights. You could ride your bike anywhere. However, my parents said do not go past the water tower,” she recalled. “So when I got there I would turn around and ride back to Claywell.”

“Every time I flew in to San Antonio, you could see 'the tin man' on final approach — home,” she added. “For me my childhood and adult landmark is gone.”

“This morning I saw the crane, and remember that today is the day it was coming down.”

"When I was little, and my family drove over from Houston, headed for Kerrville, when you saw the Alamo Heights water tower, you knew you were 'out of town' (San Antonio),” resident Blackie Bolduc recalled.